Arts and Crafts for Preschoolers

If you are the homeschooling parent of more than one child, has this ever happened to you?

Breakfast is finished, chores are semi-done, and it's time to get started with lessons. You settle in with your third-grader to work on his times tables and meanwhile your preschooler does one or more of the following: tease the cat, pour cereal onto the coffee table, pull every toy off the shelf and throw each across the room, or scream "Mommy!" or "I need you, Mom!" every two seconds in her effort to get your attention.

As a homeschooling parent, one of my biggest challenges was keeping my little ones entertained while working with the older children. This can make all the difference between a happy, well-behaved child and one who is coloring bedroom walls, cutting their own hair, or pushing peanut butter sandwiches into heating vents. Young children are curious and imaginative, so if they feel they are being ignored, even for just a few minutes, they will find their own sources of entertainment.

I know of one terrific way for homeschooling parents to keep their little ones happily occupied during the homeschooling day. Not only does it keep them entertained, but it accomplishes a variety of other things as well:

- Builds positive self image
- Encourages self-discipline
- Rewards hard work and diligence
- Promotes eye-hand coordination
- Cultivates a love of learning
- Fosters cooperation with others
- Encourages their imagination

The answer is simple: doing crafts with your child. You're probably thinking "Woohoo! What parent hasn't already thought of that? Crafts with older kids are okay, but with toddlers and preschoolers? Yeah, right. How do you find workable ideas, organize everything, and avoid a major mess?" Okay, gotcha.

First, consider how arts and crafts activities make your job as a parent so much easier:

1) Kids love arts and crafts, so are happier and argue less among themselves and with you.
2) Discipline becomes easier and less necessary.
3) They play together better and use their imaginations; even develop their own little games.
4) Your little ones won't need you to constantly entertain them anymore.
5) Your oldest may start helping you more with the younger ones.
6) Homeschooling lessons with your older children will be easier because the little ones will be happily engaged at the same time.

You get the picture. Arts and crafts activities can make life happier for everyone. The only problem is finding age-appropriate crafts. Most craft resources are created with older children in mind. This is why I am recommending "Little Kid Crafts For All Seasons."

Wow! I absolutely love this book!

The author, Chris Yates, has even put in a lot of extra ideas to make each unique craft more or less challenging, depending on the skills of your child. This is a terrific resource for homeschooling parents; a guide on how to craft with your child, create learning opportunities, and create your own projects to do with your child as they grow. Chris really wants you to get the most mileage out of every craft project she writes about.

This is also the first kid's crafting book I've ever seen available as an e-book, so you can get instant access to it (plus a bonus ebook, "Little Kid Paper Plate Crafts"). "Little Kid Crafts For All Seasons" is available in PDF format - readily available anywhere, anytime.

I guess you can tell that I like "Little Kid Crafts For All Seasons" and I feel comfortable recommending it to you. In fact, I wish I'd had this book when my children were little. Take a look - I think you'll really like this outstanding value for parents who craft (or want to try crafting) with their little people!